Plastic shell, handle and tank unit for hand iron



H MAYKEMPER 2,928,194

PLASTIC SHELL, HANDLE AND TAN UNIT FOR HAND IRON March 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 24, 1955 INVENTOR. fife/2y ficykflwafi March 15, 1960 H. MAYKEMPER PLASTIC SHELL, HANDLE AND TANK UNIT FOR HAND IRON Filed Feb. 24, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. fiaz yjjayxiefigven u; QM

PLASTIC SHELL, HANDLE AND TANK UNIT FOR HAND IRON Henry Maykeniper, Eau Claire, Wis. Application February 24, 1955, Serial No. 420,225

Claims. or. sis-'17 This invention relates to hand irons and more particularly to a combined one-piece shell, handle, and tank unit for electric irons, steam and sprinkle irons and the like.

In my Patent No. 2,797,597, issued iuly 2, 1957, on a Hand Pressing Steam Iron, and my Patent No. 2,729,- 904, issued January 10, 1956, on a Hand Pressing Steam and Sprinkling Iron, I have disclosed housing and handle units formed of plastic material and provided with means in the form of a shroud or the like which I extended down to the soleplate as far as possible to provide protection to the iron user from burns as if she were to touch the unshielded metal soleplate or heated metal 2,928,194 I Patented Mar. 15,-1960 ice let fresh air enter beneath the shroud-like means and secondly to let the tip of the soleplate unit reach the seams, buttons, contours, corners and edges of the materials being ironed.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel insulating means between the plastic shell, handle and tank unit and the soleplate unit which will first tend to absorb and/or insulate against the flow of heat andsec- 'ondly will serve as a support for the plastic shell handle and tank unit.

In this respect it is contemplated that the insulating means maybe used as a common element to "which the plasticshell, handle and tank unit and soleplate may be separately secured. The insulating properties of said means may thereby be taken advantage water tank. I have also proposed to form such housing and handle units with a hollow interior to provide a storage area for water as iskequired in a steam and/or sprinkle iron. In this way manufacturing costs could be considerably reduced by eliminating the necessity of providing a special tank for the waten Theme of plasties for forming such handles fulfills every expected advantage over metal but because collapsible cores are hand to secure and are also slow when used in mass production, attempts to manufacture such housing and handle units from the plastic material have met with 5 difficulties. Not only is it diflicult to handle the heated cores in inserting and removing them from the mold but where a single or multiple core and slides are used to produce the hollow handle, it has been found necessary in order to provide for subsequently removing the cores that the moldings be left with undesirabiy large openings which have to be subsequently closed. The closing of such openings with separately formed members as by cementing or a subsequent curing process has been found far from satisfactory because of the difficulty in making such closures satisfactorily fluid or water-tight. in this connection it is importantthat the construction be sufli- .ciently water-tight to guard against water coming into contact with the electrical components of the iron.

Therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and functional construction for a combined shell, handle and tank unit which can be formed from plastic material as a one-piece water-tight unit. shell, handle and tank unit of a standard iron are in the instant invention combined into a single unit so that manufacturing costs can be considerably reduced.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel structure of handle for a hand iron containing a built-in water storage tank that can be produced by a one-shot molding or casting technique.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a plastic shell, handle and tank unit made of a material having high heat resistance properties and in which the water reservoir is formed as a cavity within the unit having a round or square shaped section but extended lengthwise in the shape of an are or circle, ellipse, parabola or other member of the conic section family.

It is a feature of the present invention that the g is also contemplated that the shell, handle and tank of of to prevent the transfer of heat through the fasteners from the soleplate to the handle unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel insulator and air-vapor mix cooling system between the hood or shroudo'f the plastic shell, handle and tank unit and the soleplate unitwhich may be utilized for its cooling efiect. it is thus proposed to provide said shroud or hood with an air gap provided between the handle unit and the insulating member to which the soleplate is secured. Vapor steam otherwise lost in the open air may then flow from the edge of the soleplate unit up under the hood of the handle unit and mix with incoming fresh air to condense and thereby introduce a desired cooling effect.

A further object of the invention is to provide a jet opening in the nose portion of the plastic structure through which fresh air may be introduced by the stroking of the iron so as to strike the escaping vapor steam will lie below said entrance, said reservoir further having anopening adjacent its lower point in which is provided a valve insert such as is common to steam and/or sprinkle irons.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle and water storage unit of plastic material such as previously described further having conventional openings provided therein to carry elements such as flash valves,

heat indicators or thermostats as is essential to the operation of such hand irons.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description'of the.

preferred embodiments of the invention and accompanymg drawings used in conjunction therewith, and in which drawings;

Figure 1 is a longitudinalsectional view of an'iron embodying the, invention and in which is shown a combined shell, handle and tank unit, an insulator unit, and

a soleplate unit, the conventional parts of a standard ironsuch as thermostat and flash valve assembly being shown in dotted lines;

Figures'2 and 3 aresections taken through Figure 1 along lines 2 and 3,.respectively, to show the fastening ofthe insulator units with the combined shell, handle and tank unit and the soleplate unit. The cooling system achieved by arrangement of the involved parts is also shown and direction of flow indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectionviewbf a modified construction of shell, handle and ztankiunit wherein the filling spout opening is in the front of the'structure.

.also shows .the valve insert and the soleplate projecting from under the hood and the jet opening the nose invention is not to be limitedto the specific structure disclosed.

Thus, it ,is contemplated that the shell handle and tank unit shown in Figure 1 can be adapted to fit any standard iron, electric steam or sprinkling iron. For example, it is contemplated that a combined shell, handle and tank unit according to the presentv invention could be incorporated into the iron such as l have shown and described in my previously mentioned patent applications and also .in my sprinkling Iron PatentNo. 2,674,054 and my Sprinkling iron Patent No. 2,741,044.

As illustrated in Figure 1 a combined shell, handle and tank unit according to .the present invention will cornprise an integral one-piece plastic member it having a hollow interior or water reservoir 2, said water reservoir being shaped lengthwise as a partial arc of a circle, ellipse, parabola or other member of the conic section family. This shape has been selected since it is proposed that the shell, handle and tank unit will be molded as an integral 7 unit by a so-called one-shot molding process. Thus it is proposed that the shell, handle and tank unit will be formed between two dies, one of which has a permanent core protruding into the molding cavity to form the water reservoir and which by reason of the aforesaid shape may be conveniently and readily removed. Al-. though the invention is also adapted for forming such a combined shell, handle and tank unit out of metal by a .die vcastingprocess the outstanding advantages of the plastic material with which .the invention is primarily concerned.

invention lie in the use of In one modification of the invention the protecting or shieldingiside walls 3 of the combined plastic unit 1 reach only the' edges of the. solepiate unit while in another modification it is proposed that said walls extend low enough to also surround the soleplate 5 and provide sub stantially complete protection against the danger of being burned by touching theheated metal soleplate. Under the protective wall 3, I provide a novel insulator cushion which I use to secure the combined shell and tank unit 1 to the soleplate. As shown in Figure l, the insulator cushion 4 rests on 'top of the soleplate 5 and over which is mounted the combined shell and tank unit 1. Spacer washers 6 serve to leave an air gap 9 all around the insulating cushion between it and shielding walls 3 of the handle unit 1 as well as between it and soleplate 5. The spacer washers 6 may be formed integrally with and as a part of the insulated cushion 4 if desired. The wall portion 3 of the combined handle and tank unit 1 is secured to the insulator cushion 4 by fasteners 7 and the soleplate 5 which is of metal is secured also to said insulated cushion 4 by separate means 3. Fastening means- 7 and 8 are preferably of hollow construction to reduce the flow of heatand transmission thereof. if desired, the fasteners 7 which are located in thefront andrear of the structures may be formed in special inserts molded into the material of the insulatorcushion A feature of .the invention is that the fasteners 8 securing the insulator cushion 4 to the soleplate unit-5 are by the aforesaid construction separate from the fastener '7 and so spaced therefrom that no direct heat is transmitted through such fasteners from the heated soleplate 'to the plastic handle unit. The insulator cushion 4 is preferably preformed to fit into the hollow space between the plastic superstructure 1 and the soleplate unit 5 and is made of heat insulating material such as kieselguhr, polyvinyl chloride, vermiculite, asbestos fiber, spun glass and similar materials having good insulating properties, such compositions being usually calcinated, formed and fired at 1000" F. temperature.

As seen in Figure l, I provide a vertical cylindrical openingiitl in the front portion of the plastic unit 1 for the meansused to operate a conventional thermostat located in space 11. An operating dial may be provided in the dotted line space 12, such being a standard part of a conventional iron. In. the water reservoir 2 at the lowest point of the arc and fluid gravity level, a knurled insert 13 is molded into the material of the arc wall 14 as a receptacle for a conventional flash valve 19 which '1 locate in space 15. This valve may be operated by a dial switch member 16 which I locate in the rear of the structure and serves to allow water to enter space 2% from reservoir 2 where it is heated to steam by the soleplate 5 which exits through vent 2 All standard parts whichare not of direct importance to an understanding :of the invention, as previously described, are shown inv dotted lines. 1 l

Preferably, the combined plastic handle and tank unit is formed in a book die, of two parts and a base die to form the lower hood. Pinsware used to form the openings for the fasteners and locking the die in position. A main core; usedto form the reservoir 2 moves in and out of the die on a radial segment and gear assembly and may be of hollow construction for cooling in a die casting or for heating purposes in a molding process. 7

The arc in which the water-tight interior or reservoir is arranged is so disposed that the filler spout opening 1;

will be located in the rear of the superstructure and at the highest part of the arm whereby the water may occupy substantially the entire portion of the cavity, and since the integral construction provides a water-tight cavity there is no way the water can trickle out of the reservoir except when the valve guides the flow of water for evaporation to steam.

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views, respectively taken in the forward and middle portions of the shell, handle and tank unit 1 to show the relation of the plastic unit 1 and its relation to the insulator cushion' i and soleplate assembly. The arrows represent the flow of heat, the

flow of fresh air and movements of the vapor steam as it is guided under the hood into the air gap 9 beneath the shield walls 3 and cushion 4 as well as between said cushion and the soleplate 5.

in Figure 3 the receptacle 13 is shown as molded in the material of the lower wall of the reservoir while in space, 15 a three-way valve 19 is shown in dotted lines, but not specifically described.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a preferred construction of the invention inwhich the filler spout opening is more practically located in the front portion of the structure. it illustrates the relation of the water reservoir 2, the insulator cushion 4, the protecting shield Walls 3 and the jet opening 18 communicating with said shown as partially projecting rrom under the hood of the com ined shell handle and tank unit 1. A standard flash valve assembly 15 will be located in receptacle 13. dotted lines are also illustrated openings for possible power connections as well as locations for a conventional thermostat and fasteners. Spacer washers 6 are so arranged that the needed air gap it extends completely around the insulated cushion Figure 5 is a side view of a steam iron using the com- The soleplate 5 is bined shell handle and tank unit of the invention and illustrates the better appearance achieved through the combination of the several parts into a one-piece plastic unit. If desired, the latter unit may be formed in different colors so as to achievea further advantage in addition to those above recited.

Having described my invention I claim: v 1. In a steam iron having a soleplate and heating means associated therewith, a shell of seamless plastic 7 material consisting of a base-adapted to be secured in spaced overlying relation to said soleplate to provide an air space between said soleplate andthe base, said base having an upturned portion to which is joined a handgrip tion, said shell including a outwardly from'all sides of said base and downwardly hating short of the 6 shroud-like portion extending therefrom about the insulation member and spaced therefrom-to provide a surrounding air space which communicates with the air space between the base of the shell and. W

said insulation member, said shroud-like portion termilower surface of the soleplate and having its lower edge located outside the peripheral limits of the soleplate other than the edge of the shroud-like portion to the soleplate the sole plate to the air space beneath the shroud-like portion, and means communicating with said cavity for being-in spaced relation directing water therefrom to the soleplate for conversion to steam.

4. 'In a steam iron, the combination of a soleplate having heating means associated therewith, a heat insulation member secured in overlying relation to said soleplate,

the soleplate to the air space beneath the shroud-like portion, said base of the shell, its upturned portion, handgrip portion and shroud-like portion constituting a single piece of plastic.

2. In a steam iron having a soleplate and heating means associated therewith, a shell of plastic material insulatingly secured in overlying'spaced relation to said soleplate, said shell consisting of a baseextending lengthwise of said soleplate and having is joined a handgrip portion extending'lengthwise in spaced overlying relation to said base, said base and. its upturned portion containing an arcuately shaped elongated water-tight cavity open at one end into the upper surface of said upturned portion, said cavityincluding said end being uniformly of the same cross-sectional size, and said shell including a shroud-like portion extending outwardly from all sides of the base and downwardly therefrom about the soleplate, said shroud-like portion terminating short of the lower surface of the soleplate and having its lower edge located outside the peripheral limits of the soleplate other than the tip thereof, said lower edge of the shroud-like portion being in spaced relation to the soleplate to provide an entrance and exit around the soleplate to the air space beneath the shroudlike portion, said body of the shell, its upturned portion, handgrip portion and shroud-like portion constituting a single piece of plastic.

3. In a steam iron, the combination of a soleplate having heating means associated therewith, a heat insulation member substantially coextensive with said soleplate and secured in overlying relation thereto, and ashell of plastic material secured in overlying spaced relation to said insulation member, said shell consisting of a base extending lengthwise and in overlying spaced relation to said insulation member to provide an air space therebetween and having an upturned portion to which, is joined a handgrip portion extending lengthwise in spaced overlying relation to said base, said base and its upturned portion containing an elongated water-tight cavity open at one end into the upper surface of said upturned poran upturned portion to which and a shellof plastic material secured in overlying spaced relation to said insulation member, said shell consisting of a base extending lengthwise and in overlying spacedrelation to said insulation member to provide an air space therebetween, and an upturned portion to which is joined a handgrip portion extending lengthwise in spaced overlying relation to said base, said base and its upturned portion containing an elongated water-tight cavity open at one end into the upper surface of said upturned portion, and means establishing communication between the lowermost portion of said cavity and the soleplate, said shell including a shroud-like portion of said plastic material extending outwardly from all sides of the base and downwardly therefrom in spaced relation about the insulation member to provide a surrounding air space which communicates with the air space between the base and insulation member, said shroud-like portion having its lower edge located outside the peripheral limits of the soleplate other than the tip thereof, said lower edge of the shroud-like portion being in spaced relation to the soleplate to provide an entrance and exit around the soleplate to'the air space beneath the shroud-like portion, the tip of the soleplate projecting forwardly of the foremost portion of the shroud-like portion and the lower edge of the foremost portion of said shroud-like portion being turned upwardly and over said projecting tip of the soleplate to provide an enlarged entrance thereabout to the air space beneath the shroud-like portion and base of said plastic shell. 7

5. The steam iron claimed in claim 4 wherein the I cavity contained in the base of the plastic shell and its upturned portion is of arcuate shape and is uniformly of the same cross-section size.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 16,886 Walker Feb. 21, 1928 2,180,523 Horton Nov. 21, 1939 2,313,382 Kistner Mar. 9, 1943 2,321,509 Olving June 8, 1943 2,333,521 Clark et al. Nov. 2, 1943 2,337,078 Morton Dec. 21, 1943 2,362,590 Smith Nov. 14, 1944 2,542,858 Boring Feb. 20, 1951 2,797,507 Meykemper July 2, 1957 tip thereof, said lower to provide an entrance and exit around 

